VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A Russian family in Vancouver is fighting a Canadian government deportation order based on the husband's past ties to the notorious KGB spy agency.

Mikhail Lennikov, 48, his wife and 17-year-old son arrived in Canada in 1997 after Lennikov quit the KGB, where he worked as a Japanese translator, the Globe and Mail reported Friday.

Ever since, the family has sought permanent residence status. Lennikov told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. he was straightforward in telling the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service about his work as a captain with the agency.

He insists he was all but forced to join the KGB, and resigned when the Soviet Union began crumbling.

On Feb. 24, Public Safety Minister Peter van Loan denied them a ministerial order that would allow them to stay in Canada.

A document seen by the CBC from Stephen Rigby, head of the Canada Border Services Agency, to van Loan said there was "no indication that (Lennikov) has been involved in espionage or other intelligence activities since arriving in Canada."

Lennikov said he fears for his son, who would have to serve in the Russian military when he turns 18, and would be considered a traitor, the reports said.